Yoke Chin Kham

PERFORMANCE ARTIST, NIHON BUYO DANCER AND TEACHER

Yoke, a Malaysian-born Chinese grew up as a child in Malaysia against the backdrop of various ancient performing shamanistic rituals and religious cultural festivals of the Chinese, Malays and Indians. There she witnessed and became fascinated by these varied processes. Yoke migrated to Australia at the age of fourteen, 1966-76. From 1970 her interest in the ancient philosophy of Chinese arts initiated training with Yang style taichi. After a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Sociology 1974 University of NSW, she felt a strong inner urge to explore and study the profundity, complexity and power of eastern performing arts and eastern movement philosophy in the east.

Yoke brings to her performances the return to the mystical, the fascination of spiritual belief, the immortal,the sense of wonderment, the ritual passing from one phase of life to the next,naivity in the pure essence of living.

Yoke set off to study and live in Kyoto and Tokyo 1976-92 Noh Dance and Drama, Kanze school and Nihonbuyo, Fujima school. She attained Natori Award, professional performing licence in Nihonbuyo,1986, stage name, Fujima Senyo ( Wisteria of a Thousand Faces). 1988 attained Shihan Award (teaching license).

In 1995 Yoke received a travel, study performance grant ( Australian Performing Arts ) where she experienced and studied the performances of ancient kagura practices and performances in remote areas of northern Japan, Iwate ken.

With a Chinese history of TaiChi Arts, her Malaysian cultural performance heritage influences, these, along with her study of traditional Japanese arts of Noh Dance and drama, Nihonbuyo, predramatic rituals, shinto rites, and ancient Kagura dances, evolved into her own unique choreography.

In her major works, Yoke explores and experiments in cross cultural mediums, new expressions of traditional and contemporary themes. Choice of music, space and costumes enhance greatly her work. Yoke had the opportunity to perform with numerous talented and eclectic composers/ musicians, established artists through various fundings and grants.

Yoke is presently living, teaching and performing in Sydney.

Works

Hakusen School of Japanese Classical Dance performance in Matsuri Festival Darling Harbour December 2018

Hakusen School of Japanese Classical Dance performance in Matsuri Festival Darling Harbour December 2018

Hakusen School of Japanese Classical Dance performance in Matsuri Festival Darling Harbour December 2018